Don't Ever Let Me Go
by Taylor's Abs
Summary: The rain pounded the ground, washing the blood away from my wounds. There he was. I watched him run towards me. I tried to smile but my face was frozen. I knew he wouldn't leave me. I closed my eyes and I slipped into the darkness. B/J R&R!
1. Chapter 1 Dream Catcher

"Jacob."

I shook his shoulder gently. He let out a grunt in his sleep and I couldn't help but giggle quietly. He looked so peaceful, so content; like he had no care in the world at that moment. It was how it should be.

I sighed as I looked into his relaxed face. Even in his sleep, his short black hair was so perfectly in place, perking ever so slightly at the front. His russet skin was so even and smooth so much so that I urged to touch it. His jaw line was strong and tight as if he was clenching his teeth. I thought of his beautiful, perfect teeth… in his beautiful, perfect smile. My smile. My Jacob smile. I sighed again unable to contain myself. His eye lids twitched, his dark lashes brushing his cheek. I tried to imagine what he could be dreaming about. Maybe he was chasing an animal in his wolf form.

"Ha!" I laughed out loud and as soon as the sound escaped my mouth I quickly brought my hand up to cover it. I looked back down at Jacob. He was still asleep. My eyes began to travel a bit, no longer laying on his face but straying to his uncovered chest. A blush quickly enveloped my cheeks uncontrollably as I ogled his body. His muscles were extraordinary. His neck was the size of both of my hands flat and his arms were so large and burly. It was almost as if he were flexing in his sleep. Chiselled lines defined each of his abdominal muscles and they rose and fell with each breath he took. My hand was moving before I could even think about what I was doing. I lightly traced my finger along one of the lines of his sculpted chest. His muscles tightened under my touch.

I glanced up to his face. Nothing. This boy sure could sleep. I guess I was comparing him to myself and my sleeping habits. Any tiny noise of the night woke me up, let alone someone touching me. A breeze blew in lightly from his open window above his bed. I barely had a chance to react as one of his big arms came swinging past my head. I ducked, just barely missing it as he let it hang off the side of the bed. I jumped slightly as what sounded like a floorboard squeaked down the hall. I feared what Billy might say if he found me in Jacob's room unannounced. After all, I had broken in. Well, in all technicality, Jacob had showed me where the spare key was and told me to stop by whenever I wanted. He probably didn't intend on it being five in the morning. The sun wasn't even up yet and here I was sitting beside Jacob on his bed.

I felt stupid. I had had a nightmare, like I did every night. This one was different though. Sure it had the same old routine of characters and events: Edward leaving me, Victoria killing me… that was all the same. This time however, Jacob was there. He was his younger self in my dream. The one I had met when I first returned to Forks. The scrawny Quileute boy with the long black hair. He was walking towards me, probably to say hello or give me a hug I assumed. But they got to him first. I watched as terrifyingly beautiful vampires with their red eyes blazing attacked my Jacob. They ripped pieces of him off, blood poured from his limbs. He cried out in pain, "Bella!"

I shuddered as I brought myself back to reality. It was a dream. Jacob was safe. He was right here. The dream had scared me so much I needed to come see him. I immediately hopped into my truck and drove, not even bothering to tell Charlie that I had left. I was still wearing the sweatpants and tank top that I had gone to bed in.

I pursed my lips into a thin line. All I had come for was to make sure Jacob was safe. My mind was still racing. I didn't want to leave Jacob. I didn't want to let him out of my sight. I knew as soon as I was gone the anxiety would come back. I wanted to speak to him, see his dark onyx eyes stare down at me. I wanted to protect him. I almost laughed again out loud as I thought of myself protecting this hulk of a man lying beside me. It was still a feeling I couldn't shake. I glanced at his face again. How on earth could I wake such a beautiful boy who was so at peace? I shifted to get up to leave but was caught off guard when the arm I had previously dodged came back at me, pressing against my back and pushing me hard against his chest. It held me there and I struggled to manoeuvre my face so that I could breathe properly. My nose was throbbing. I worried about whether or not it was broken as it had been slammed hard on impact. I couldn't see or smell blood which was a good sign... I turned my head so that my cheek lay squished against his pectorals. I pushed up; trying to free myself but it was useless. His grip was too strong.

"Jake…" I muttered against his chest. I tried moving my arm to hit him but it was also constrained by his iron claw grip.

"Jacob!" I tried to speak louder but to no avail. My ribs were beginning to ache from being crushed against him for so long. He made an incomprehensible sound. I thought maybe he was about to wake up. I hoped he would.

"Bella…" he muttered. My eyes went wide and I peered up to his face. He was still asleep. He was dreaming about me?

I couldn't take it any longer. I turned my face back towards his chest. I unconsciously took in the scent of his skin which made me hover for a second. He smelled like pine and fresh cut grass. I shook my head and took in a deep breath and then… I clamped my teeth down as hard as I could.

Jacob let out a loud yelp and sprung completely to his feet, knocking me to the ground with a hard thud.

"What the hell!" he bellowed. "Bella? What are you doing in my room?" I looked up into his face expecting anger but all I saw was confusion and concern. He knelt down and scooped me up with one swift movement, placing me on the bed.

"I, well, uh," I stammered incomprehensively and then sighed. "I came to see you."

He glanced at his alarm clock that blared a red 5:47 a.m. "Why?" he asked. His eyes moved back to my face, searching. "Are you in danger? Are you hurt? Is your dad okay? Is it… _him_?"

I shuddered a little bit at the mention of Edward. "Everything's fine."

Jacob was silent for a minute as he sat next to me on the bed. "Then why Bells, did you come here at 6 a.m. and bite my nipple?"

I looked at his face. He grinned the smile I had longed to see. I laughed awkwardly. "Well, actually I've been here since around five and I had to bite you or you were going to crush me to death with your arm."

His one eyebrow arched downwards slightly at my statement. He shrugged. "Ah well, it doesn't hurt anymore anyways. Just surprised me… I don't get surprised too easily these days," he said leaning back and folding his arms behind his head. "What with my superior senses and my killer instincts…"

He was speaking so loudly. His voice boomed in the quiet of the early morning. "Shouldn't we be quieter?" I whispered. "I'm surprised Billy isn't knocking on your door right now demanding to know why I'm here so early."

Jacob rolled his eyes. "Billy isn't here. He's on a hunting trip with a few of the other elders."

I blushed at the circumstances. I was alone with Jacob, in his bed. Most of the world was asleep. My mind wandered wondering where _he _was in the world.

"But speaking of which…" Jacob continued pulling me out of my short trance. "Why are you here so early?"

My blush deepened. "I had a bad dream."

Jacob's arm wrapped around my waist as he pulled himself up and held me close. "What was it about?"

"You…" I paused. I felt his eyes starring down at my face but I couldn't meet them. His hand rubbed my waist soothingly. "You got hurt… killed… and I couldn't do anything to stop it. I couldn't protect you…"

He was silent for a moment and brought his other hand up to cup my face, forcing me to look up at him. "Bella," he said softly. "It was only a dream. I'm alive. More than alive. You don't have to worry about protecting me. You don't even have to worry about protecting yourself. I can keep us both safe from any bloodsuc – " he cut himself off to rephrase. "Any monster that tries to come near here."

It didn't shock me at all that he knew exactly of the 'monsters' I had dreamt about. My palms were getting sweaty. I couldn't tell whether or not it was because we were so intimately close or because he was extremely hot. His body was emulating so much heat. My eyes grew drowsy from the comforting warmth that he was surrounding me with. A yawn escaped me before I could stifle it.

"Why don't you sleep here for a few hours," he said through his own yawn. "I'll keep the bad guys away."

I didn't object as he laid us both down on his bed. I was still cuddled up beside him. Sleep began to overtake me as I snuggled my face into Jacob's broad shoulder. A slight pain throbbed in the middle of my face.

"Jake…" I said through the muffled confines of his body.

"Mm?"

"Does my nose look crooked?"

He shifted to look down at me and snickered. "No more than usual, why?"

My mouth opened in mock offense as I hit him lightly. "I hate you."

He laughed again. "Sure, sure. I love you too Bells."

Seconds later he was snoring. I could feel myself drifting off to sleep. I was completely at ease. The only thing on my mind were those three little words… _I love you_.


	2. Chapter 2 Hot Water

My eyes slowly opened as the brilliant sunshine of the morning poured down on to me. Birds were tweeting beautiful morning songs in the tree by the window. I looked around and was hit with a moment of disorientation as to where I was. I had almost forgotten I had come to Jacob's house. It felt like an entire day had passed since then. I glanced at his clock. I was shocked to see that it was just after nine. I couldn't remember the last time I had slept for three hours straight without waking myself up from one of my frequent nightmares.

I rubbed my eyes and attempted to stretch. My efforts were halted however by the strong arm that was wrapped tightly around my waist. It was then that I begun to notice how close I was to the other body lying in the bed with me. His face was pressed into my shoulder and his breath tickled my neck. His hard chest was pushed against my back and one of his legs was intertwined between mine. I also began to notice how unbelievably hot I was. My skin was sticky and I could feel sweat in almost every crease and curve of my body. I tried to move again but the arm encircling me was so tight. It seemed to pull me closer with every shift I struggled to make. I sighed in defeat.

I wondered if Charlie had noticed my lack of presence yet or whether he was still asleep. It was Saturday so he may have opted to sleeping in. I mentally cursed myself for not leaving some sort of note. I knew that I had put him through so much over the last few months and to make him worry more was never my intention. I hoped he wouldn't send out the entire police force thinking I'd been kidnapped or something. I shook my head at the thought. That was a little bit eccentric… more of a Renee move rather than a Charlie. I thought of Billy then. What time was he going to be home? It would be tough to explain how I ended up sleeping beside his son. Surely, assumptions would be made.

The hand around my waist rubbed my stomach soothingly and Jacob made a rumbling sound that vibrated against my shoulder. I peered down to look at his hand. I almost leaped out of the bed in my shock. I wasn't wearing my shirt! I was lying next to Jacob wearing only my bra. Granted I was still wearing my sweatpants but why on earth wasn't I wearing my shirt!

My mind raced as my eyes dashed around the room searching for my missing item of clothing. I had been asleep for no more than three hours and somehow managed to lose my shirt. I highly doubted that I had done some sort of act with Jacob that encouraged me to willingly take off my shirt. I hadn't even gone that far when I was with Edward. I really hoped Billy wasn't home now. My current appearance would not help the situation in anyway.

I had been living in sweats for the past month, only bothering to take them off to shower once in a while. I couldn't think of anything that would've caused me to take my shirt off. Unless… had Jacob… No, of course not. I stopped that thought in its tracks. Jacob would never do that. At least I didn't think he would…

I spotted my shirt through the corner of my eye behind me near the end of the bed on Jacob's leg. I pushed with all my might to heave Jacob off of me, my skin making a smacking noise as each hot and sticky piece pulled apart. I grabbed a nearby pillow and stuck it in between his arms. That seemed to suffice enough as a replacement of me as Jacob snuggled his face into its confines just as he had done to my back. I snatched my shirt and hastily put it on. I felt so much more comfortable knowing that I was now fully dressed. I hoped off the bed and to the door in one swift movement. I paused before reaching for the doorknob and turned around to look at Jacob, asleep just as I had found him earlier. My mind was subconsciously aware that he wasn't breathing so deeply anymore and I wondered if he was merely pretending to sleep now. I opened my mouth to say his name but closed it opting to leaving things as they were. I left his room and walked through his quietly still house to my awaiting red truck outside.

When I got home, I was relieved to find Charlie still asleep in his bed, none the wiser of my early morning escapade across town to La Push. I felt completely rejuvenated. I had, in all honesty, had the best few hours of sleep than I had had in months. I was in an amazing mood.

The house was completely silent. I walked into the kitchen to make breakfast. No sooner had I taken the eggs out of the refrigerator was there a knock at the door. I jumped at the sound and the eggs slipped out of my hand. To my astonishment, they never hit the floor. Someone had grabbed them midair just in time.

"Good morning beautiful." Jacob smiled at me holding the three eggs I had taken out easily in his palm.

"Jake… how did you… where…" I couldn't process my thoughts enough to form any sort of coherent conversation.

"I knocked."

"I noticed." I took the eggs from his hand. All of these superhuman abilities that everyone seemed to have these days would never cease to astound me. "Do you want breakfast?"

He looked pensive for a moment. "Well, I went over to Emily's already and had some pancakes with the guys… but if you're offering…"

I rolled my eyes at his bottomless stomach, almost envy of his ability to eat large amounts of food constantly and still have rock hard abs. "How many eggs to you want?"

"How many do you have?"

"A dozen."

He tilted his head and ran his hand through his hair. "And you're having three?"

I couldn't believe we were having a discussion about eggs. "I'm having one. I was going to make the other two for Charlie."

"Ah," he said. "So that leaves nine. Can I have nine?"

I starred at him with wide eyes. There was no hint of a possibility that he might have been joking. His smile turned sheepish at my inquisitive stare. "When you stop changing into a werewolf for good," I said, pointing my finger at him. "You're going to be fat. I hope you know that."

He grin was so big it crinkled the corners of his eyes and the sound of his laughter made my heart skip a beat. Making Jacob happy made me feel elated.

When Charlie came downstairs, I wasn't surprised at all at how glad he was to have Jacob over for breakfast. He smiled into his food practically the entire meal as he chattered away at Jacob about Billy and cars and anything else that was on his mind. I sat quietly starring at them both. This was never something I would've seen Charlie do if it was Edward having breakfast with us. Then again, Edward didn't eat eggs.

Charlie soon switched the conversation around to our plans for the day. I hadn't even thought of doing anything. Aside from working on the motorcycles with Jacob, I hadn't been doing much of anything that wasn't completely necessary. Charlie probably saw Jacob as the perfect guy to pull me back into normality. My knight in shining armour come to save me from the dungeon that was my mind. I wanted to believe in it. Jacob suggested that we go to La Push beach for the day. Charlie agreed completely, saying I was looking too pale lately and needed some sun. Apparently he forgot that he lived in one of the least sunny places in the Western Hemisphere. I rolled my eyes but didn't argue.

Jacob drove my truck as he knew the area of the beach better than I did. The skies were overcast as usual and a cool wind blew in from the water. We walked along the shoreline. I was huddled in my sweater while Jacob went shirtless. The beach was completely deserted. Jacob grabbed my hand and I didn't reject it. His hand was so warm that it sent a comforting wave of heat through my chilled body. He pulled me along in silence for a while until we came to the end of the beach where there was a thick forest. A long, gray slab of rock lay on the outskirts of the trees. It seemed well-suited enough to be a bench. Jacob still kept my hand as we sat down.

"Bella." He spoke my name but kept his gaze towards the water. "How do you think of me?"

The question caught me off guard. I didn't answer right away as I tried to gather my thoughts. "Jake, you're my best friend. You're the only person I can truly trust in my life right now."

I couldn't read his expression as he thought about my words, his eyes still directed towards the water. He rubbed his thumb soothingly overtop of my hand.

"If something were to happen to me, how would you feel?"

My eyebrows pulled down towards the centre of my forehead. I didn't understand why he was asking me these things. I pulled his face sideways so that he was forced to look at me. "Jacob, why are you asking me this?"

He looked at me with a calm demeanour but his dark eyes seemed pained. He was searching my face for something. I couldn't tell if he found whatever it was or not. I didn't understand where all of this was coming from. He had been so happy and careless when we were eating breakfast, now he seemed so serious.

Jacob sighed. "One of the elders, Quil's grandfather, he's able to feel things before they happen. Sort of like that one Cullen could see things." He paused as he gauged my reaction and then continued. "Old Quil feels when danger is on the verge of happening. He's informed the other elders and Sam of his current feelings and it he seems to believe something big is about to happen."

I still didn't understand. "What sort of thing?"

"Something that's going to involve a lot of fighting," said Jacob. "We don't know when it's going to happen or what exactly it is but Old Quil is never wrong. The pack is training starting tomorrow."

"So there's a possibility that you might get hurt?" I felt anxious. I didn't want anything to happen to Jacob. I would sacrifice my own safety if it meant keeping Jacob from getting hurt.

Jacob let out a bark of laughter. "Me get hurt? Bella, think reasonably." He let go of my hand and clenched his hands into fists. "It's the other team that should be worried. I'm going to kick some bloodsucker ass."

"Bloodsucker?" I stood up, my heart pounding. "Vampires are coming? I thought you said you didn't know what it was?"

Jacob starred up at me, his jaw tight. "I didn't mean to say that. I don't actually know if it's vampires. It's just a thought that's been going along through the pack. We don't actually know anything."

"But you think its vampires. And you're going to fight them? You'll die!"

Now Jacob was standing, his massive size made me feel weak and inferior. His body began to shake. "You have such little faith in my abilities Bella! Aren't you aware of how strong I am? I dare anything to try and hurt me! Anything! I could crush your precious Edward like a bug!"

That stung. I starred at him with anger. He needed to stop. He was breathing really heavy, his body still shaking. With his teeth clenched tight he said, "I hope it's them."

My bottom lip quivered as I turned and walked away. His words struck me deep. Hot tears filled my eyes as I found my way to my truck. I started the engine and looked up just in time to see a large brown wolf run into the thickness of the trees.

**Thanks for reading **** please tell me what you think! **

**artigiano – thanks so much for that review. It really made me smile. I wrote that first chapter just randomly one night and wasn't sure if I wanted to share it or continue it. Your comment inspired me to continue so thank you **

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	3. Chapter 3 What Lies in the Dark

I didn't hear from Jacob for the entire day or even the day after. At first I felt relieved. Good riddance. Soon, however, it began to upset me that he hadn't called or stopped by. Several times I found myself on the verge of getting into my truck and driving over to the reservation just to see him. Each time I had to remind myself of why I shouldn't.

I tried to preoccupy my time as much as I could. I cleaned nearly every room in the house. I washed the dishes twice, trying to get rid of non-existent stains. I even called the Newton's to ask them if they needed any help at work. I knew they didn't as my hours had been slashed over the last few weeks. If anything they'd rather cut me down more than give me an extra shift. The day passed slowly but surely.

Charlie had gone fishing and planned on coming home late. The house felt eerily quiet. I took the garbage outside to put in the bins. I glanced up at the night sky which was completely clear for once. The moon had a brilliant white glow in the deep black darkness of the sky. The stars were little specks of yellow and I tried to connect the few constellations that I could remember and see. The trees beside the house began to rustle, taking me out of my trance. I stared into them, trying to adjust my eyes enough to see if something was there. I audibly gulped and my heart pounded in my chest. It was probably just the wind or an animal but I felt so helpless. If it was something else, (and I was open to the possibility of it being absolutely anything) I was easy prey. I kept my gaze on the trees as I walked back towards the door. When I made it inside I locked the door and pulled the latch lock closed. I went to the backdoor and did the same. I knew that chances were whatever could be out there wouldn't exactly by halted by a locked door but it made me feel a little safer. Maybe it would prolong them from getting in even if it was just for a slight amount of time.

I tried to stop thinking about it as it really shouldn't have been something to worry me. I attempted to convince myself that my nerves were just getting the better of me. It was late and I was home alone. I was just jumpy, that's all it was. I put some leftover spaghetti in the microwave and sat down to watch a movie.

I didn't realize how tired I was until I was seated. The cushions of the couch drew me in and it became a challenge for me to keep my eyes open. Soon I found myself sinking into unconsciousness, driven by my need to sleep. I was almost immediately pulled into one of my nightmares. It was a strange one. It was completely dark except for a series of red flashes. They started far away and then came closer, right up to my face and then darted away. I looked down at my leg and it was bleeding profusely. I moved my hand around frantically trying to find something to stop the bleeding but there was nothing but darkness surrounding me. I glanced up and my heart nearly jumped right out of my chest. Victoria stood mere feet away from me. Her hair was a mess of tangled fire and her perfect face was curled into a snarl. She positioned herself into a catlike pose and before I knew it she stood directly above me. She knelt down and our faces were so close our noses were almost touching. I was beyond terrified. "Now you die," she sneered as she opened her mouth wide revealing her gleaming, large fangs.

Suddenly, my eyes were open, I was awake. My face was wet from the cold sweat I had perspired during my sleep and I was breathing heavily. The television was blaring noise and I blinked my eyes at the flickering pictures. The house was dark. I was unsure whether or not Charlie had come home yet. I assumed he hadn't as I probably would've woken up at hearing him come in.

I sighed and rubbed my eyes. The dreams that I was having were getting weirder each night. I tried so hard to avoid sleep so that I didn't have to endure them but it was inevitable and pointless to fight it.

A soft bang came from upstairs, as if something had fallen on the floor. I sat frozen for a minute, too afraid to move. After what had happened earlier in the evening and then my dream, I was definitely on edge. There was no other noise aside from the television. It was times like these that I wished I owned a pet just so that I could blame freaky unidentified noises on it. I got off of the couch and looked towards the dark stairs. Of course this would have to happen when the light bulb in the stair light was out. I felt like I was in some scary horror movie walking into the unknown. I climbed the stairs slowly, grasping the railing for support in the darkness. My eyes were somewhat adjusted to the dark when I reached the landing at the top but I saw nothing. I bit my lip nervously as I walked towards my room. The curtains on my window were billowing furiously away from the wall. It was wide open, the wind rushing in. I flicked on the light. My room was empty. There was, however, the snow globe that I had gotten for Christmas years ago from my grandmother on the floor. I heaved a sigh of relief. The snow globe must have fallen off of my dresser and on to the floor causing the noise that I had heard. I was surprised that it didn't break. I picked it up and shook it, watching the snow fall on all of the little figurines inside.

"You shouldn't leave you're window open this late at night."

The snow globe flew out of my hand as I jumped nearly three feet into the air at the sound of his voice. It landed safely on my bed. I turned around.

Jacob was leaning on my doorframe dressed in his usual less-is-more attire, his arms were crossed and a smile played at his lips. "I meant to pick that up," he said with a slight laugh. "I barely knocked it when I came in through the window."

I glared at him from across the room. He stared back at me with a quizzical expression. "You look angry," he said, cautiously. "Is this because of what I said on the beach? I didn't actually mean it and I shouldn't have said it. Bells, I was just really anxious to start training, I'm sorry that I got a little crazy. That shouldn't have happened…"

I started to walk towards him. My chest heaved with every breath I took. My mouth was a tight line.

"Bella…?"

I stood in front of him, starring at him with narrow eyes. "Do you have any idea what you put me through just now?" I hadn't realized that I had started to yell. "I'm alone and it's dark and you're just up here sneaking around? What the hell Jacob?"

He smiled. "Sorry Bella. I didn't mean to frighten you. Werewolves and vampires are completely fine but the dark gets to you huh?" I continued to glare and he continued to smile. "You had both the doors bolted shut so I had to find another way in. Luckily for me you left your window open. If you're going to put yourself under lockdown you should probably make sure you see to your windows too."

I turned away. I never shut my bedroom window. It was pointless but I still had false hope that maybe someday _he_ would come through it again. My voice was calm when I spoke again. "What are you doing here Jacob?"

He walked in front of me so that he could look down at me. "I came over to apologize. I was really rude to you and I shouldn't have been. I've been feeling bad about it ever since."

I looked into his dark eyes. "You could've come over sooner…" I glanced at the clock. It was after eleven. "Or during the day…"

"That reminds me," Jacob said, as-a-matter-of-factly. "Charlie is staying over at my house tonight. He and Billy got home from fishing and had a few beers. He tried to call you but you weren't answering the phone so I told him I'd head over. I wanted to see you anyways. I would've been here earlier but I had training today, remember?"

"Oh right," I said, yawning. The nap that I had, if it could be called that, did nothing but make me even more exhausted. Sleep seemed to do nothing for me. My mind suddenly switched back to the previous morning… to my sleep next to Jacob. I had felt amazing after. Maybe I could ask him to stay with me… no… I couldn't… Could I? I desperately tried to stifle another yawn but failed miserably.

"You look so tired Bells," Jacob said with worry in his tone. He touched my face. "You've got more bags under your eyes than any old lady I've ever seen."

"Thanks Jake…" I tried to hit him lightly in the stomach for that remark but he caught my hand.

"You don't want to break your hand now." He winked at me. "You should really get some sleep."

I laughed bitterly. "Sleep doesn't help. I always have nightmares and I end up feeling worse when I wake up."

He was silent for a minute, just gazing into my face. His hand still held my cheek. "What if I stayed over? You seemed to sleep pretty well the other day… and if you can't sleep we could just talk or something."

I couldn't help myself. "Like a slumber party?"

He rolled his eyes at me.

"Do you want to paint each other's nails?"

"Bella…"

I laughed as I starred into his eyes. "I'm sorry. I would actually like it if you stayed. I could use some sleep."

I hoped he wouldn't try to turn this sleepover into something more. He smiled at me. "Great! Just try to keep your clothes on this time, okay?"

My eyes went wide and my mouth dropped open. I sputtered incomprehensively.

He snorted with laughter. "I didn't know what you were doing. You just sat up and stripped. I even said 'Bella, what are you doing?' and you said, 'It's too hot, turn the heat off.' Funniest thing I've ever seen." His laughter was booming in the quiet of the night.

"I'll kick you out of my house."

"Okay, okay, sorry." He stopped laughing but it was obviously taking all of his control. His lips were pulled into a tight smile as he tried to contain himself.

I called Jacob's house to speak to my dad. He sounded sober enough but he took drinking and driving very seriously. Being a police officer meant he had to uphold his reputation as a man of the law. When I told him that Jacob would be staying over I expected an argument but Charlie was completely understanding. Too understanding. He said something about not feeling comfortable with me being alone at night in the house anyways. His admiration for Jacob was getting old very fast.

I made Jacob wait outside of my room while I changed. I thought about layering my clothing so that if I felt the urge to remove my shirt again I would have another one waiting. Then I thought of how hot it was sleeping next to Jacob and that idea was completely crushed. I grabbed a baggy shirt and threw it on and some shorts. I then took a belt and wrapped it around my waist, pulling it just enough that it was comfortable but still tight. There was no way this shirt was going to come off. Jacob laughed at me when I let him in but I didn't care.

"Don't blame me if you get too hot again…" he said, as he lay down on my bed. He pretty much took up the entire thing alone. Jacob's bed was double the size. This was going to be interesting. For a split second I thought about sleeping in Charlie's bed but that felt completely and utterly wrong even if we were just sleeping.

He turned to lie on his side as I got into the bed. At first we just lay there still, both of us facing the wall, inches separating us. Jacob soon closed the gap as he wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me towards his body. I almost protested but I was already fighting a battle with sleep and I was losing.

"Jake…" I managed to whisper his name and he held me tighter. I fell comfortably asleep, safe in Jacob's arms.

**Thanks again for reading guys! I hope you enjoyed it! Sorry if any part of the plot seems slow. I just hate it when things go too fast in stories. **

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	4. Chapter 4 Blinded by the Rain

I was in the meadow. It was night time. The wind blew through the surrounding trees, sweeping through the leaves to make a swishing noise. Midnight creatures rustled and scurried throughout the forest. I was seated on the ground. The hard earth felt oddly comfortable to me and I picked at the grass around me. Given the circumstances, one would think I'd be frightened but I was completely calm. My hair wandered wistfully around my face as I looked up to greet my forthcoming visitors. I had been expecting them.

There were three of them. The moved swiftly from the edge of the forest to where I sat, almost gliding across the ground. They stood in a triangular pattern, one in the front and two in the back. When the leader moved forward, the others followed. They wore long, black cloaks with deep hoods that covered them from head to foot. Their faces were both shielded by the cloaks and by the darkness of the night.

"Isabella…" The leader said my name slowly, letting the last syllable linger in the air. His voice was crisp and had a slight accent to it.

"Who are you?" I asked, genuinely curious and still completely unafraid.

"We are three of knowledge," said the leader.

"Power," spoke the one to the left.

"Life," said the third, his voice slightly harsher than the others.

The leader knelt down in front of me. He reached out his hand to touch my face and breathed in deeply. "Isabella, we have come to inform you of what is impending. You are so very important. You will lead some to triumph or watch as they fall. You have the choice. A choice between what is good and what is bad…"

"What is right and what is wrong," said the voice from the left.

"Who shall live and who shall die," the third snarled.

"Isabella, my dear," the leader whispered, caressing my face. "You are the gem."

He lifted his head slightly revealing the features of his face. His skin was ghostly white in the dark and his eyes were a piercing red. He smiled a gleaming grin.

My eyes jolted open and I gasped in a sharp breath of air. I felt like I hadn't been breathing. I tasted the scent of pine and fresh cut grass. I only realized then that my face was pressed against Jacob's chest. Both of my arms were constricted against my sides as he had wrapped his arms tightly around me, squeezing me against him.

"Jacoff…" I mumbled his name as best I could with my lips pressed to his chest. He didn't wake up. Instead, he nuzzled his face deeper into my hair, breathing in deeply.

I didn't want to have to bite him again. This was becoming way too common of an occurrence for my liking. I enjoyed my space and if Jacob was going to sleep beside me he needed to learn to respect that. I felt his hot hands rub against my skin, up and down my back. My bare back.

"Oh for goofneth thake," I mumbled into his chest again. Apparently I was just incapable of keeping my shirt on while sleeping next to Jacob.

"Jacoff Black! Wake up" I started to wiggle as much as I could, trying to get out of his constraint.

"Mmm…" he sighed. "Bella? Are you awake?"

"Yeff!"

He looked down and loosened his grip. He yawned widely and stretched his arms, completely oblivious to the fact that he had put me in a strangle hold. "How'd ya sleep?"

I was immediately on my feet, walking around my room. I needed to know where this last shirt had gone too. "Pretty well, I think," I said after completely emptying my laundry hamper on to the floor.

Jacob simply watched. "Have any nightmares?"

I paused, thinking back to my dream. I could only remember bits and pieces of it. The meadow at night, the three mysterious men, piercing red eyes. They had called me the gem. The dream had all the makings of being a nightmare but I knew it wasn't. "No, no nightmares."

"Ahem." I looked up at the sound. Jacob held in his hands my shirt and my belt which happened to be in two pieces.

I grabbed both and examined my belt. It was a leather belt. There was no way I was strong enough to break it in half. "How did…"

"Yeah, that was my bad." Jacob smiled sheepishly. "Okay, don't get mad. I broke you're belt."

I stared at him with my mouth open wide.

"And I took off your shirt."

"Jacob!"

He put his hands up defensively. "Hear me out, please. You were sweating a lot and so was I. It was gross. Your shirt was just making things worse, so I got rid of it. It was a completely rational decision. Your belt was very tricky to remove, which is why I cut it off. My hands are just too big to try and fiddle around with tiny holes."

I snatched the shirt out of his hands and put it on. "That's ridiculous."

"Sure, sure Bells," he said, putting his hands behind his head and closing his eyes. "You probably would've taken it off at some point during the night anyways. I can't turn this heater off."

He laughed as he mocked me. My face remained frosty. He peeked an eye open at me. "Lighten up Bella, geez. Hey, what time is it anyways?"

I glanced at my clock. "Uhm, just after ten."

He immediately sprung to his feet. "Shit! Are you kidding me! Man I'm so going to hear it when I phase. Shit!"

"What's wrong?' I asked, concerned.

"Training started ten minutes ago," said Jacob. He had a sly grin on his face as he walked towards me. "I'm a bad boy Bells. I'll end up being a bad influence on you."

"It's too late for that," I said, smiling back. He laughed and pulled me into a deep hug.

"See you later, okay?" He leaped out of my open window and onto the grass, breaking out into a run before I even had a chance to get to the window to look out. I watched as his figure disappeared into the forest.

Charlie came home within the hour and surprisingly didn't ask me anything about my night. I returned the favour and didn't pry into what he had gotten up to. We sat down in the living room together. He turned on the game and I pulled out my geometry homework.

"Hey Bells…" I looked up when he said my name, he kept his eyes on the television. "Do you have any plans for tonight?"

The game went to a commercial break and he glanced over at me. I shook my head and he continued. "Great! You wouldn't mind heading over to La Push then, would you? I'm planning on having some of the guys over for poker and beers. I wouldn't want you to get bored so I figured you wouldn't mind hanging out with Jake. I've already talked it over with Billy."

I stared at him in surprise. "I didn't know you gambled…"

"Well, I don't really do it much anymore but we got into a game last night. I forgot how much fun it can be." He cleared his throat. "Of course, clean fun. No serious gambling, I wouldn't allow that."

"Sure," I agreed. "I can go to La Push."

The game came back on and I went back to my homework. I didn't even realize how fast the time was passing until the doorbell rang. Charlie was in the kitchen getting snacks and such ready for his evening. I answered the door to see Billy in his wheelchair and Jacob behind him. Jacob was actually wearing a shirt. A tight shirt but it was still a shirt. Was it that time already? I hadn't even thought about getting ready. Then again, it was Jacob. He wouldn't have cared if I had rolled in mud before going to his house.

"Come on in," I said as I opened the door wide to let Billy wheel himself inside. Charlie called Billy from the kitchen and he rolled himself down the hall.

"Ready to go?" Jacob asked me from the doorway.

I smiled and was about to respond when an odd feeling came over me. I felt suddenly dizzy and my eyelids fluttered as a bright image came across my vision. I couldn't tell what it was and it was gone just as fast as it had come.

I had my hand against the wall as I tried to steady myself. Jacob was right there beside me holding me up. "Woah, Bells, are you alright?"

I looked into his face, it was etched with concern. "I'm fine," I said. "Just got a little dizzy for some reason. I have to get my bag and then we can go."

Jacob kept his eyes on me as I walked up the stairs. He seemed to be debating with himself on whether or not to follow me to make sure I didn't collapse or something. I rolled my eyes but a part of me was worried. That had never happened to me before. I didn't even know what had happened. I tried to reassure myself. It was probably just from overworking my brain on my homework.

Jacob and I drove to La Push in silence. He continued to sneak glances at me from the driver's seat of the Rabbit.

I sighed. "Jake, stop it. I'm fine."

"You look pale."

"I'm always this pale."

He bit his lip anxiously. "I don't know Bells, that was scary. One second you were smiling and the next your eyes were rolling back into your head."

"I'm okay. Stop worrying. I did a lot of homework today. I just over did it." It sounded better in my head. Saying that I exhausted myself through homework just sounded silly when I said it out loud.

"It's a long weekend," he asked as he pulled into his driveway. "Why are you doing homework?"

"So that I don't have to worry about it while I'm with you. Stop raining on our time together." I slammed the door shut and thunder boomed in the distance.

"Speaking of rain," Jacob said, smiling now. "We're going to have one hell of a storm tonight. I can sense it."

He was right. We were barely in the door when the rain started to pour down, pounding the ground. The thunder rumbled loudly and lightning crackled in the sky. I was happy to be inside. Thunderstorms always made me nervous unless I was safe indoors. Jacob and I sat down in his living room and he turned on the television. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and I rested my head against his chest. I felt completely content. The rain was a soothing sound outside and I was toasty warm beside my personal heater.

I was nearly dozing off when Jacob's body suddenly stiffened. I sat up to look at him. He had an alert look on his face. "Jake?"

"Did you hear that?" he asked without looking at me.

"No…" I hadn't heard anything but the rain and the dulling thunder.

"I'm going to go check it out." He got to his feet so fast that I fell into the couch as I had been leaning on him.

"Jacob, don't – " I cut myself off as he was already at the door. He opened it and went out into the rain.

I sat on the couch by myself, waiting. Minutes passed and I heard nothing. Jacob didn't come back inside. The television cut out because of the weather and I was suddenly sitting in the eerie silence, still hearing nothing but the rain. I was beginning to get nervous. Why hadn't he come back yet? I got to my feet and slowly walked towards the window to peer outside. I could barely see anything. I couldn't see the barn and I could only see the outline of his car in the driveway.

I put on my shoes and opened the door. A gust of wind blew wet rain into my face as I shut the door behind me. I had even less vision outside than I had had from the window as the rain blurred my eyesight.

"Jacob?" I called out into the darkness. Nothing.

I walked around the house and continued to call out his name. The ground was muddy and I almost slipped in it several times. I began to walk in the direction I thought was towards the barn. I was really getting scared. Where was he? I decided it would probably be best if I went back inside and got an umbrella or something so that I could see better without the rain in my eyes. I turned around to head back but could no longer make out the house in the rain. I saw a light but it seemed too far away to be his house. I ran towards the light, hoping that it was at least something I could find shelter in.

The puddles splashed against my clothes, leaving muddy splotches. I was panting both from running and from anxiousness. When I got closer to the building I began to realize that I was headed to the barn and not the house. The light was from a lantern outside. I kept running towards it anyways, I could at least gain my bearings from there. I opened the large door when I reached it with my cold and slippery hands and ducked inside. It was dark but the smell of gasoline and dirt was familiar and made me feel calmer.

It felt good to be out of the rain. My clothes stuck to my skin and my hair clung to my face. I was drenched. My teeth chattered and I rubbed my arms as I searched the yard with my eyes, trying to make out the house.

I slight noise alerted my senses from behind me. I turned around, looking into the darkness. "J-Jake?" I stammered.

There was no other noise. A gust of wind blew past my ear and it sent a shiver down my spine. I was certain that in that breeze I had heard a man whisper, "Isabella…"

"Bella!"

I jumped and turned back towards the yard. Jacob was ten feet away and was running towards me. When he reached me, he pulled me up into his arms and grasped my body tightly.

"What the hell are you doing? I've been looking all over for you!" he yelled over the rain as he ran back to the house. He pulled open the door and slammed it shut. I blinked my eyes at suddenly being in the light after only seeing the dark and rain for so long. He shook me in his arms. "Bella!"

"S-sorry. I-I was looking f-for you." I could barely make out the words through my rattling teeth.

He placed me on the ground so that I was standing. He immediately began removing my clothes. "J-Jake!" I grabbed his wrist but my strength was weak.

"You're frozen," he said. "If you don't get out of these clothes, you'll get pneumonia."

I let him undress me, too weak to persist. I was down to my underwear when he picked me up again and carried me to the couch. He wrapped my in a blanket and held me tight. I didn't feel embarrassed or nervous at all to be nearly naked in his arms. Then again, I was numb everywhere. I felt so tired. He began to rub each limb of my body and the heat of his hands burned my frozen skin.

"Bella," he said as he stared into my face. "You can't go to sleep right now, okay?"

"Mmm," I mumbled in comprehension. It was getting hard to keep my eyes open.

"Bella," he said again. My body was feeling warmer with each touch and rub he gave me but I was still very drowsy.

"I'm so tired, Jake."

"I know but you can't go to sleep when you're body is so cold. Bella, stay awake."

My eyes had closed and I was so close to falling asleep.

"Bella, don't hate me for this." I heard him say and I wondered why.

Suddenly, his lips were against mine.

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	5. Chapter 5 In All Honesty

His lips were smouldering hot.

They burned against my frozen mouth. I immediately began to feel my body warm at both the heat from his mouth and my burning cheeks. It felt like a fire had been erupted inside of me. The warmth felt amazing in my chilled body but I didn't know how comfortable I felt about kissing Jacob, my best friend. I tried to push him away but he grasped my shoulder with one hand and held my face with the other. I was stuck. My reflexes were still too tired from the cold rain to gather any sort of strength. His hand moved from my shoulder to rub my arm. I shivered and let out a gasp. He took it as me getting into the kiss and he deepened it.

He licked my lips with his fiery tongue and then rolled it in my mouth. I was trying so hard to concentrate on how to get out of the kiss; I hadn't realized when I had begun to kiss him back. Our mouths moved in sync with each other and our tongues touched playfully. He moved his mouth down to my chin then to my neck, kissing and sucking lightly.

"Jake," I gasped. I was more than warmed up now. He continued to kiss my neck. I placed my hands against his chest, which I hadn't noticed was bare until that moment. He must have taken his shirt off at some point. I had meant to attempt to push him away with my hands but I put no force behind my touch. He let out a low rumble in response and it vibrated against my hands. "We should – "

He cut me off. "Bells, stop thinking. Just feel."

He found my lips again, stomping out any response I could've had. I continued to kiss him back, unsure of what else I should do. I was confused about how I felt. I did have feelings for Jacob but I didn't know if they were _these_ kinds of feelings. His hand was in my hair as he pressed my face to his. My heart was pounding in my chest. Part of me begged for it all to stop but another part urged it to continue. My hands were still on his chest. I thought about his words._ Stop thinking, just feel_. I took a deep breath in through my nose and let go. I let go of every thought that was racing through my head. I let go of worrying about what was going on. I let go of the thought of Edward.

I wrapped my arms around Jacob's neck and pulled myself up so that I was straddling his waist. He stopped kissing me for a moment and I opened my eyes to look at him. He stared back at me and smiled. I opened my mouth to say something but I was halted again by his lips. His hands grasped my waist as he pushed me against his chest. The blanket I had been wearing fell to the floor. I no longer needed it. I was nearly sweating from the heat of his body.

His hands were rubbing up and down my back. His lips were moulded to mine with such urgency. The kiss was so passionate, like nothing I had ever experienced. He kissed my neck again and a tiny moan escaped my lips before I could stifle it. I couldn't help it; he was making me feel so good. The noise seemed to excite him further as he lowered me on my back and positioned himself on top of me.

He groped my body with his hands touching everywhere. My hands massaged the nape of his neck and wandered through his hair. He growled in response. My legs were wrapped around his waist and I could feel him pressing against me. I couldn't help but make noise as his burning touch grazed my outer thigh. I was lost in the feeling.

*RING* *RING*

The sound of the phone startled me back into reality. Jacob stopped kissing me and his hands held still. We stared into each other's eyes as the phone continued to ring. Jacob sighed and sat up. He walked into the kitchen and picked up the phone.

I pulled myself into a seated position and breathed heavily. Woah. I couldn't even begin to comprehend what had just happened. I tried to listen to Jacob's conversation with whoever had interrupted us but he was speaking too quietly, either that or the fact that my heart was thumping in my ears was deafening my hearing. He appeared in front of me before I had even known he had hung up the phone.

His cheeks seemed redder than normal and he was panting slightly. "That was Billy. He said the poker game is over. He was just checking in."

"Oh," I replied, unable to think of any other response. I grabbed the blanket off the floor and wrapped it around my body. I was certainly not cold but I suddenly felt self conscious of my nearly nude body. Jacob stood awkwardly for a moment.

"I'll put your clothes in the dryer." His voice cracked halfway through the sentence.

"Okay." I still couldn't create any sentence longer than a word.

He walked away, leaving me alone in the room. I reached for my bag and took out the spaghetti strap shirt and shorts I had brought to wear for pyjamas and threw them on. Once again, relief flushed over me as I found myself fully clothed. I looked out the window to see that the rain had stopped and for a brief moment I thought about what had happened when I had been standing in the barn. Maybe it was just the cold rain and wind but I could've sworn I had heard my name.

Jacob came back into the room with two cans of pop and a bag of chips. He turned the television on and sat down on the sofa.

"The rain stopped," I said as I sat down beside him.

"That's good," was his response. We sat in silence for a few minutes just watching a random show. The quiet was getting too much for me. I turned to look at his face. He avoided looking back at me by pretending to be genuinely interested in the T.V.

"Jacob," I said. He continued to keep his gaze away from my face. I reached out and turned his face towards me. His eyes maintained focus on the show. "Jacob, look at me."

He let out a sigh and moved his eyes to look into mine. "What?"

"What do you mean what?" I asked, dumbfounded. "What just happened?"

He shrugged. "I was trying to warm you up. You got carried away…"

I stared at him. "_I _got carried away? You kissed me!"

He nodded in agreement. "Yes, but that was to make you warmer. You're the one who was straddling me and roaming your hands through my hair."

I couldn't believe he was blaming this all on me. "What about the whole 'stop thinking and feel' thing? What about when you were on top of me? "

"You think too much all the time. It was just some advice," he said casually. "And yeah the last part was all me but that was only because you were really getting into it."

"Jacob Black!" I got to my feet but he pulled me back down, laughing. I glared at him.

"Relax, Bells. I'm kidding." His face turned serious within seconds. "To be honest with you, I… Ah, I can't tell you."

He turned his face away from mine, looking downwards. I wasn't sure but I thought I could see his cheeks reddening under his russet skin. I sat closer to him. "Jake, you know you can tell me anything."

He bit his lip and looked into my eyes. "Bella, I…" he began but cut himself off short.

I was sitting so close to him, I was nearly on top of him. I tried to prod him on, nodding for him to continue.

"I didn't kiss you just to warm you up," he said. "Granted it was the best way to make you warm but I've wanted to kiss you for months now. My feelings for you have gotten stronger over the last little while. Well, you know basically since he… and you… since you came and asked me to fix up those motorcycles. I know you probably don't feel exactly the same but I know that you feel something for me… I can sense it."

I let Jacob ramble on mainly because I got the idea he had wanted to tell me for a while now due to the anxiousness of his tone and also because I didn't know what I was going to say back to him. When he was finished speaking he stared at me with an exasperated look.

"Say something Bells," he said quietly.

I sputtered incomprehensively. "I… Jake…"

He sighed. "It's okay. We don't have to talk about it now. Tonight we'll just be Bella and Jacob, nothing more. "

I smiled as I looked into his deep eyes. I liked the fact that he didn't pressure me. I snuggled closer to his body. "Bella and Jacob," I repeated.

I woke up early the next morning, alone on the couch. Surprisingly, I was still wearing my shirt. I stretched my limbs and felt my joints crack. I stood up and looked around. The house was silent. "Jake?" I called out. There was no response.

I walked around the house, looking in different rooms but was still unsuccessful in finding him. When I got to Jacob's room, I paused and went inside. Jacob wasn't in there but something caught my eye. It was a necklace, woven from rope. At the centre of it was a piece of wood in the shape of a heart. I touched the heart with my fingers. It was handcrafted; carved with a knife.

"I made that for you."

I was startled by his voice. "Jake, you have to stop sneaking up on me."

Before I could turn around he was right beside me, kneeling next to me. He took the necklace out of my hands and placed it around my neck, tying it in the back. "I made it," he began. "Because I never want you to forget about your heart. It's what makes you who you are. You have such a great heart Bella. I wouldn't ever make you give that up."

I couldn't look into his eyes. I knew what he was referring to. He was talking about my relationship with Edward and how if we had still been together I could've very well already been a vampire. My heart would be nonexistent. I would no longer have Jacob. His hand grazed across the necklace and paused on the heart before moving to rest over top of my heart. It beat quickly under his hot touch. I looked up. His gaze was strong. Maybe I was meant to be with Jacob.

Our faces were moving closer, as if drawn to each other. I gulped audibly. Jacob was so close I could feel his breath tickle my skin. There was a tiny gap between our lips. He continued to gaze into my eyes and I continued to stare back. Suddenly, he laughed. I looked at him with confusion and he smiled.

"Your heart is beating so fast. Do I make you nervous Bella?"

My face went crimson red and I looked away. "You're just really hot."

As soon as I said it, I wanted to take it back. He laughed even harder. I tried to recover. "That's not what I meant! Well, you are… good-looking but I… you're just… you're skin…"

"You think I'm hot," he said with a wink while he continued to laugh. I made a face and he tried to control his laughter. "I'm sorry Bells but that was funny. We should actually head out now. Wouldn't want either of our dads getting the wrong idea."

I nodded and tried not to be reminded of what had happened the previous night. It was too late however as the memory of the kissing and touching came flashing through my mind. I remembered how good it felt and tried to remember the feeling exactly but it escaped me. I sighed. "Yeah, I guess we should."

When we walked out side, the sky was full of dazzling sunshine. I couldn't help but remember what Edward had looked like in the sun, his skin shimmering. I looked at Jacob. He didn't need the sun to look extraordinary. The way he carried himself. The way he walked. His smile. He was beautiful.

"Damn," he said and he paused in front of my truck.

"What?" I asked, curious at why he hesitated.

He looked at me with pursued lips. "That smell… something's been snooping around my yard. The scent is all over your truck."

I felt the colour drain from my face. "What kind of something?"

"A bloodsucker by the smell of it," he answered casually. He caught himself for saying the sentence so brashly. "Sorry. It's not any of your bloodsuckers. This one's different."

"Different?"

"It's foreign… like from another country. It doesn't smell like anything I've encountered." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "I'm going to have tell Sam right away… hey, are you okay? You look sick…"

I leaned on the truck for support. Everything was beginning to spin. "Yesterday," I whispered, unable to make my voice go any louder. "When I was out by the barn, I heard something. It… it knew my name."

Being a wolf gave Jacob super sensitive hearing. It was no surprise that he was able to hear everything I said no matter how quiet I was. He was immediately by my side. "Whatever it is Bells, it won't get anywhere near you. I'll destroy it before it even has the chance. I will always protect you."

I smiled weakly. I knew he would.


End file.
